5 Tips To Increase Engagement on Instagram

instagram engagementWhether your a blogger, a small Etsy shop, or a big name brand engaging with your audience is vital. Audience engagement provides you with clear feedback of who your audience is, what they want, and what they think about you and your product or service. Knowing these things about your audience is huge for your strategy. For example I notice that when I share something personal about motherhood on Instagram I get a ton of comments and feedback. This tells me a few things. For one it tells me that a big piece of my following is moms. It also tells me that moms are very engaged and active on Instagram. Another key thing here is that it tells me that I need to develop my strategy around moms. I mean it all makes sense. I’m a new mom. I am going through this experience just like other new moms and sharing my story helps other moms who may be experiencing the same things. Before I go rambling on about being a new mom for the 100th time let’s get down to business and chat about 5 easy, yet very helpful tips to increase your Instagram engagement.

1. Share posts that get comments- It’s that simple. If you have specific types of posts that receive more comments continue to include them in your strategy. For example if you post an #ootd pic and it gets 2 comments & you also post a food pic that gets 7 comments start sharing more food pics! Your followers like your food pics better and they are more engaged with that content.

2. Comment on similar accounts- Chances are if you leave a few friendly and insightful comments on a similar account you will receive comments back on your account. This also helps increase your followers & helps you make new Instagram friends.

3. Ask a question under your photo- For example if you post a picture about your upcoming travel plans to San Francisco ask your audience if they have ever been and what their favorite spots are. Asking a question is a sure fire way to receive comments and engage in a conversation with your followers.

4. Reward your followers with giveaways-This isn’t something you have to do all of the time, but it is a nice way to make your followers feel special. You can do a single giveaway just on your account or you can participate in a loop giveaway with like-minded businesses or bloggers. See more about how to join loop giveaways in a previous post I wrote here.

5. Be real- It’s really easy to come across “perfect” on Instagram. You carefully curate your photos to gain a following by staging the picture, making sure the lighting is right, and editing your photo. I don’t disagree with doing any of that, but I think it’s important to be real on Instagram. If your photo is perfect but your hair is a little messy, keep it that way. Maybe even talk about it in your comment. People relate to real people.

I hope these help you! Let me know your tips in the comments!

31 Comments

  1. Theresa on June 24, 2015 at 3:48 pm

    Thank you for the helpful post! I agree that looking at comments is a great way to engage your followers and find out what they like. Great tip about asking for suggestions for upcoming travel plans!
    http://www.livingtoat.com/

    • leeannefoltz@gmail.com on June 24, 2015 at 3:50 pm

      Thanks Theresa! I appreciate your comment 🙂 Have a great day!

  2. Lauren on June 25, 2015 at 11:00 am

    Great tips! I love instagram… I know I dont use it ‘properly’ all the time, but I def keep it real!

  3. Robin Follette on June 25, 2015 at 11:03 am

    Thank you! I’m really not using Instagram as well as I should. I don’t think I’ve asked a single question. Going to snap a pic and try it now!

    • leeannefoltz@gmail.com on June 25, 2015 at 12:26 pm

      Awesome! Let me know how it goes!

  4. Chelsie on June 25, 2015 at 12:24 pm

    I definitely agree that giveaways can be really helpful, as long as they are done within reason! I do a loop giveaway every other month and it’s been working out for me!

    • leeannefoltz@gmail.com on June 25, 2015 at 12:26 pm

      Yes, I totally agree with you!

  5. Jessica Doll on June 25, 2015 at 1:47 pm

    These are all such wonderful tips, I was happy to find out I do most of them already, haha.

  6. Callie on June 25, 2015 at 4:01 pm

    Super helpful! I’m always looking for ways to grow on Instagram!

    • leeannefoltz@gmail.com on June 25, 2015 at 4:15 pm

      Good to know. Glad it was helpful. Thanks for stopping by the blog Callie!

  7. Claire on June 26, 2015 at 1:13 am

    Great tips, thank you! I’ve been really trying at these for a while now and seeing results!

    • leeannefoltz@gmail.com on June 26, 2015 at 11:14 am

      Awesome!

  8. ashley on June 26, 2015 at 6:52 am

    Great tips! I’ve been wanting to increase my Instagram engagement for awhile – this was exactly what I needed!

    • leeannefoltz@gmail.com on June 26, 2015 at 11:14 am

      Great! Hope they are helpful Ashley!

  9. Michelle on June 26, 2015 at 2:46 pm

    These are super helpful! Definitely a few tips that I will keep in mind as I’m posting!

    xo, Michelle Paige
    http://www.michellespaige.com

    • leeannefoltz@gmail.com on June 26, 2015 at 4:13 pm

      Great! Glad I could help Michelle!

  10. Julie @ Girl on the Move on September 3, 2015 at 11:20 am

    Great tips! I’m obsessed with Instagram and I have found that the more I engage, the more engagement I get on my account! It is so important to remember that social media is all about being SOCIAL!

  11. Mary on September 3, 2015 at 11:24 am

    Great post! I will be putting your tip to use! Thank you.

  12. Heather with WELLFITandFED on September 3, 2015 at 11:51 am

    Great post and I am really interested in a bunch of your other posts. I will be perusing! Thanks you!

  13. Caitlyn Battelle on September 3, 2015 at 12:30 pm

    Loved these tips! Growing my instagram community is something I’m working on right now. I’ll have to go through and see where I have the most comments 🙂

  14. Chelsie on September 3, 2015 at 4:32 pm

    I need to work on asking more questions in my Instagram posts! Great tips!

  15. Mama Munchkin on September 3, 2015 at 6:42 pm

    Love these tips. And, I totally agree that being “real” on instagram is super helpful in connecting with readers and increasing engagement.

    • leeannefoltz@gmail.com on January 14, 2016 at 11:34 am

      Thanks! Glad they were helpful!

  16. Christina on September 3, 2015 at 11:26 pm

    This is great. I’ve really been struggling with my instagram account. I think because I have my personal one, it’s so hard to get into the groove of using my blog one. But I know I need to just do it.

  17. Sarah on September 4, 2015 at 9:04 am

    Great tips! We’re trying to get better about commenting on other people’s posts. There’s just so much to do and so many social media outlets…so hard sometimes to “spread the wealth”.

  18. Chelsea Pearl on September 4, 2015 at 10:03 am

    Such great pointers! I really agree that finding like-minded people is key — go engage with them and they’ll likely engage with you.

  19. Claire on September 6, 2015 at 10:52 pm

    Great tips. I need to work on a lot of these – I struggle with engagement on some pictures yet not on others and need to figure out the formula to get the engagement I want on every picture!

  20. Lisa Pfeffer on December 18, 2015 at 2:14 am

    Just found your blog from Pinterest. Love the instagram tips! What do you use for a plugin for your Instagram pictures on your side bar? I love the layout.

    • leeannefoltz@gmail.com on December 19, 2015 at 8:49 am

      Thanks Lisa! It’s the liketoknow.it app!

      • diamondwest on January 4, 2017 at 4:35 am

        you are a blessing to people like me who want to start blogging. 100% helpful

        • Lee Anne on January 4, 2017 at 7:45 am

          SO glad I could help!

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